The Trickster and the Trickstee
by MsMacBeth10
Summary: My name is Diana Rodgers. I thought my life was normal, I thought A Midsummer Night's Dream was just a fairy tale...until my stepmother disappears and my classmate suddenly sprouts a donkey head. I do hope I'm not going mad. Puck/oc
1. When My Stepmom Vanished

My family is extremely messed up.

Or rather, it's more like _I'm _the one who is extremely messed up. I mean, whose daughter is happy seeing her father with her stepmother together, when said stepmom treats her like a needle in her shoe? But I couldn't help it. My father is genuinely happy around her, and I had never seen him so happy before. He had never laughed so fully when it had just been the two of us. I didn't want to damage their relationship. You could say that I was being selfish, not wanting to be the one to blame for should she ever leave him…

Yep, welcome to my life.

My name is Diana Rodgers. I'm just an ordinary sixteen-and-a-half girl, with nothing to worry about except school and tests and reading _A Midsummer Night's Dream _before next week. At least, I thought I was an ordinary girl, until my stepmother abruptly vanished from our lives.

"Di, have you seen Rachel?" Rachel is the name of my stepmother. She was a famous artist, well-known throughout the west coast.

I woke, one morning, to my father's panicked voice. He never sounded like that, and as soon as he spoke, I was wide-awake. "I've been asleep," I pointed out. "Why, did something happen to her?"

He nodded frantically. "I can't find her anywhere! She went to bed with me last night, but this morning, she's not there!"

I didn't want to imagine the things they did together in bed. I swallowed before asking, "Are you sure she didn't just go take a walk somewhere to help with her inspiration?"

"She would've left a note! Or a text!" he waved his phone at my face as he continued, "She hasn't been answering my calls, Di! Oh, help me!"

Well, I couldn't magically summon her into my bedroom, if that was what he was hoping for, and I wouldn't be very happy if she came into my room in the first place. "You could call the police?" I offered.

He shook his head. "Been there, done that. They thought I was mad and hung up."

If this wasn't a serious situation, I would have laughed. It would be quite hilarious if my father called nine-one-one and cried "My wife has vanished!" No doubt the police would mistaken it as a prank call.

I glanced at the clock. "I would help, dad, but I'm sorry...I don't want to be late for school."

His face fell.

"Listen, I'll ask around and see if anyone has seen her on their way to school. I'm sure she's close by." I said, knowing that he would never relax until I did something to help.

"Thank you, Di! I'll search around town for her while you're at it." He left the room, giving me time to get ready for school.

Already, I was going to be late for the bus, so I skipped the hair-brushing and hurriedly slipped on presentable sweatpants and a shirt.

I snatched my bag and dashed out the door, not really having the time to think about Rachel's disappearance as I stumbled onto the bus.

"Didn't know today was pajama day, Artemis," a voice sneered at me. I groaned, turning to the source of the troublesome voice. It belonged to a boy by the name of Nate, whose favorite pastime was to make fun of me. I wouldn't mind it so much if he acted that way around everybody, but somehow he was gentlemanly to every girl in the school but me. He even had the honor of nicknaming me Artemis after the Greek Goddess, because Diana also happened to be her Roman name. Our English teacher, who happened to be a Greek mythology geek, even gave him extra credit for it.

And so the nickname stuck with me, no matter how much I hated it and told them otherwise.

I ignored him as I sat down in the back. This turned out to be a mistake, however, because for the remainder of the ride, he muttered "Artemis" every second and poked me as he did so. It was annoying to say the least, especially when I had more important things to be worrying about, like the fact that my stepmom had just friggin disappeared without a warning and my father would very likely tear every strand of his hair out unless she was found.

We had almost arrived at school when I couldn't take it anymore. I stood up suddenly, and Nate flinched back. "FOR THE LOVE OF WHATEVER YOU BELIEVE IN, SHUT UP!" I screamed. I half-expected the bus driver to scold me for raising my voice. I half-expected the other students to hate me for the rest of my life, because Nate was extremely popular and no one dared to say 'Shut up' to him. But instead, the students cheered and clapped, and some even whistled (it wasn't until later that I realized they cheered because Nate had been annoying them as well with his nonstop muttering of 'Artemis').

I did the smartest thing in a long time: my mouth fell open as I gaped at them.

"That was brilliant, Artemis!" A boy with messy red hair and sharp green eyes commented, his eyes twinkling with laughter as he held out his hand. I took it cautiously. "Robbie Goodfell. Today's my first day. School hasn't even started and you've already made my day!"

"The name's _Diana_," I said frostily. Half the student body called me Artemis out of habit, and I certainly didn't want a new student to join the club. "Diana Rodgers."

For a moment, I saw his eyes flash with interest. Then it was gone, and he grinned at me. "I look forward to being acquaintances with you, Artemis," he said, still laughing, as the bus pulled to a stop and the students began to file out.

"Me, too," I whispered, staring at him as he nimbly jumped off the bus from the top stair.

This was going to be a long day, I decided, as I followed him. Not to mention I still had to help my father with finding my stepmother...

Hold on a minute...my eyes widened as I pilled the pieces together. Rachel had vanished on the same day that Robbie Goodfell transferred to my school...There couldn't be a connection between them, could there?

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**Disclaimer: I am just an ordinary person, so no, I don't own the series.**

**A/N: Is reading the Iron Queen. And because Puck deserves to be with someone since he is so awesome, I decided to write a Puck/OC story. And no, there will be no love triangle.**

**Extra cookies to anyone who guesses Diana's real mother. (Hint: Diana's also a half-breed like Meghan. And I'm not sure whether that makes her a Mary Sue since it's my first time writing a fanfic story for the Iron Fey series, but she does have flaws which will be revealed as the story progresses).**

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	2. A Midsummer Night's Dream

**Note: the chapter has not changed, but please read the a/n and edit at the bottom! Diana's Greek counterpart is actually Artemis, not Athena. **

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"We have a new transfer student," my English teacher, Ms. Nelson, introduced, beckoning Robbie closer. He met my gaze and winked, and I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. "Robbie Goodfell. Robbie, there's an empty seat beside Artemis, I mean, Diana Rodgers."

I turned, and frowned. The last time I checked, there _wasn't _an empty seat beside me. It had been occupied by...by...strange. I couldn't remember who sat beside me before Robbie transferred here. Just thinking about it made my head ache, and as I refocused on Robbie, I couldn't even remember what I had just been thinking about.

Robbie sat down beside me, smirking triumphantly.

"Have you all finished reading _A Midsummer Night's Dream?_" Ms. Nelson prompted. The students blinked at her innocently, and with a sigh, she continued, "Oh, Robbie, we're currently studying the work. If you need a copy, I have some extras, or you can go borrow it from the library. Please read it before next week."

"Will do, Teach," he said. I swear he also muttered something along the lines of, "And I don't need to read it. I had first-hand experience in the matter."

He didn't say any more, because that's when Miss Nelson added, "And there will be a quiz on it soon, so be prepared, everyone."

The class groaned. Protests sprung around the room, from "Seriously, Miss Nelson?" to "Aw, come on!" to "It will be hell!" to "Who likes that stupid play anyway?"

Robbie stood up and rounded on the speaker furiously. "Who dare says that the play is stupid?" he demanded before Ms. Nelson could speak. Huh. I didn't know someone like_him _had a passion for Shakespeare. "That play is brilliant. It's a masterpiece. And I'm awesome. I mean, _Puck _is awesome."

"I take it you've read the play before, Robbie?" Ms. Nelson asked.

He nodded. "Oh yes, Teach. It's the best thing in the world. In fact, I've memorized every single one of Puck's lines." So he was a Puck fan. Ms. Nelson echoed my thought, and he added, "Of course. Puck is my idol and inspiration! He inspires me to do a lot of, uh, Puck things."

I rolled my eyes.

The class went on, and it wasn't long before it was time for lunch. I promptly sat down at my usual table. I should help my father look for Rachel, but I had to finish the play or else risk bombing that test. Wouldn't want that to happen. "Stupid play," I muttered under my breath.

"I'd like to think otherwise."

I jumped, looking up to find Robbie grinning at me. "D-Don't scare me like that!"

"Sorry, Artemis."

"It's _Diana_."

"Sure, Artemis. Did you know that the Goddess Artemis had blond hair? Her name doesn't really suit that light brown hair of yours," Robbie commented, studying me.

I suddenly wished that I had brushed my hair in the morning before coming to school. "Oh, that. Artemis isn't even my real name, you know," I said, shrugging. I tried to act as nonchalant as possible. "Nate was the one who first called me that, and it just...got stuck with me. Speaking of hair color, Dad once told me that Mom had the blondest hair he'd ever seen. It dazzled him like the sun. But the only thing I inherited from Mom are my blue eyes."

Robbie pulled out a chair from the table and sat down. "Why the past tense?"

I hesitated, wondering whether I should tell him or not. "She left my dad," I explained quietly. "Apparently, as soon as I was born, she dropped me on Dad's doorstep with a note that read 'This is your job. I have better things to do.'"

"Huh," said Robbie, deep in thought. "She looks and sounds like someone I know. Don't want to piss her off, or else - " He stopped short, as though he had said too much. "Well, she's not the type you want to mess with. Your dad must be pretty talented to have caught _her _eye. That, or she was extremely jealous of..._her_, and wanted to retaliate."

He was speaking about my mom as though he knew her quite well, but that would be ridiculous. A sixteen-year-old knows my, what, fourty-year-old mother? Creepy.

And she was jealous? Of who? Or...of _what_?

"My dad plays the cello," I said, "if that's what you mean by being talented. But he hasn't touched the instrument since Mom left him. Wait a minute...you said Mom was jealous of something? Could she have been the one who took Rachel?"

"Rachel? Who's that?"

"My stepmom," I explained, watching his reaction carefully. He must know something about it. He had to. Him transferring here now was too suspicious. It couldn't be a coincidence. "She vanished this morning. Dad's been freaking out, trying to find her. You don't happen to know anything, do you?"

He smiled mysteriously. The smile was almost dangerous, and what he asked next made my blood run cold. "What would you do if I said that I do happen to know something, Artemis?"

I stood up abruptly and grabbed his shoulders in excitement. The sudden motion caused my chair to fall back and hit the ground with a loud clang, but I ignored it. "So you _do_know something!"

"Not necessarily, Artemis," he said. "I only asked what you would do if I did know. And not to sound childish and all, but I did ask you first. Well? What _would _you do if I knew something?"

I took a deep breath. Was he testing me? Or was he genuinely curious? No, he couldn't just be curious. "I want to find my stepmother and bring her back," I declared, tightening my grip on his shoulders. "She's the one who picked up the pieces after Mom left Dad. She's the one who has been with him all these years. She can't leave him now. Not now. I won't allow it. I'll bring her back from wherever she's gone to, if it's the last thing I do. And if Mom is the one who took her, I'll find her somehow and get my stepmother back."

Right then, however, the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch. I groaned inwardly. Robbie stood up and brushed my hands off, and only then did I realize proximity between us. "You're an odd one, Artemis," he remarked. "Last time I checked, no one would risk their lives for their _step_mother. Well...see you around."

I stared after him, wondering whether he would have said something else if the bell hadn't rung when it did. "Dammit, bell," I cursed loudly.

"Cursing inanimate objects is the first sign of madness," a voice said in my ear. I whirled around, realizing that the speaker was Nate.

"Go away," I snapped. "I'm not in the mood to chat with you right now."

"It seems like you're never in the mood to chat with me," Nate said with a sigh. "I'm hurt, Artemis. Can't we be friends?"

I shot him my best death glare. "I'll consider it the day you stop calling me Artemis. On second thought, I'd rather not."

He shook his head. "How mean," he mumbled. "Looks like you're getting friendly with that Goodfell fellow." But I was no longer listening to him. As he said 'fellow', my eyes widened and I quickly pulled out my copy of _A Midsummer Night's Dream_. I stared at the list of characters, my eyes landing on one name in particular. Robin Goodfellow.

It sounded oddly similar to Robbie Goodfell, who also happened to love Puck with a passion. There had to be a connection between them...unless he loved Puck so much that he was willing to change his name to honor him. Yeah, like someone would go that far.

"Oops," I heard the whisper from somewhere behind me. "You said a little too much, and we can't have let that happen, can we? Perhaps it's time I silenced that little mouth of yours, Nate..."

A scream pierced through the silence. I shivered, looking at Nate to see whether he'd heard it too.

And I covered my mouth with my hand as I stared at him in horror.

For he no longer was the Nate I knew.

Instead, where his human head was supposed to be, there sat the head of a donkey's.

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**Disclaimer: I am just an ordinary person, so no, I don't own the series.**

**Dun dun dun. The suspense is building.**

**Special thanks and cookies go to doodle queen for being the first reviewer (there are clues in this chapter as to who Diana's mom is ;) )! Thank you for the reviews so far! (also, no, her mother is NOT Meghan, it's Titania.) **

**Leave a review?**

**EDIT: Huge thanks to reviewer GUEST for catching the Greek/Roman name mistake! I can't believe I messed it up, and to think I've read Percy Jackson and everything. /shot/ I've changed her nickname from Athena to Artemis, as Artemis is the real Greek counterpart of Diana. Nothing else in the story has changed, and I'll try to update soon. **


	3. Titania

Nate didn't show up at school the next day.

Or the next.

Or the next.

It went on for a week.

Robbie never spoke of the incident that day, even though there was a nagging suspicion in my mind that it _had _to be his work. But I barely had time to think about it, because every teacher at my school suddenly felt like either giving a major test or assigning a project that's worth fifty percent of the class grade.

There was no news of my stepmother, either. She wasn't labeled as 'missing': the police did not set out to search for her, because rumor has it that she committed suicide due to my father's abuse. They didn't even care to think that there was no body found.

I hated it. I hated whoever spread those stupid rumors, who made it seem like the Rodgers was a bad family. We're not a bad family. Sure, Rachel often ignored my presence altogether or otherwise would make me do her work, but overall, she made Dad happy, and that was what was important for me. She can use me all she liked, as long as she was _there _for Dad. Now that she was missing, my father was more faraway than ever. He's even worse than before he married Rachel. He often goes off in a daze, and I have to call him back because I was afraid he'd leave me alone forever. Maybe I really was a selfish person.

At school, my classmates often looked at me strangely. They seemed to sense that something is wrong, but they no longer acknowledged me. They don't speak to me, and they don't call me Artemis like they used to.

I should be happy that they've stopped calling me that silly nickname. But I'm not happy. This isn't the way I wanted things to be!

"Dammit," I cursed under my breath as my hand gripped my pen tighter. I'd rather have Nate back, I'd rather have him calling me Artemis for the rest of my life, than for things to be like this.

I shook my head furiously. I needed to clear my thoughts and concentrate on the _Midsummer Night's Dream _test we were currently taking. But I couldn't concentrate, not with the strange turn of events. I fiddled with a strand of my hair as I read the next question: _What prank does Puck play on Bottom_?

The same prank that somebody had played on Nate.

It all started with my stepmother's disappearance. Then, things just got weirder and weirder...

And I was pretty sure that Nate's head was a real donkey's, not some prop stolen from the drama class. _Just what is going on_?

I sighed, circling the correct answer. I let my eyes wander around the room. Most of my classmates were still squinting at the test, some frowned in concentration while others doodled things that looked suspiciously like hearts and butterflies on the page. Robbie had already finished and was leaning back in his chair with a bored expression on his face. He caught my gaze and winked at me.

I don't know why, but I blushed furiously. It's not like I was actually cheating! I huffed and glared at him before lowering my eyes.

The remainder of the period passed extremely slowly. It was as though something important was about to happen, but it was taking forever to actually _get _to that time.

_ Ring_!

Class was over. At last.

"Please turn in your test before you leave, or else you will receive a zero in the grade book," Ms. Nelson reminded us as we jumped up, eager to leave. I placed mine on top of the pile, smiled sweetly at her, and made my way out of the classroom.

Now I could worry about more important things, like finding out what _really _happened to Rachel and how I was going to find her. I know she would not commit suicide in the Rodgers household, not if I could help it.

"So, how did you like that test, Artemis?" a voice breathed in my ear.

I whirled around to find Robbie standing next to me. I hadn't even noticed him come out. "I-It was fine, I guess," I found myself stuttering. Quickly recomposing myself, I added sharply, "What about you? I'm sure you loved those extra Puck questions she threw on there."

"Oh, I certainly did," Robbie said innocently, and recited one of the questions: "_Who did Titania fall in love with_?"

"Bottom, duh," I said at once.

Robbie flashed me a smile. "That's where you're wrong, Artemis," he tsked at me. I stared at him, dumbfounded, and he elaborated, "Bottom wasn't the only human Titania loved."

"He wasn't?"

"No, not at all. I think you're ready to know the truth, Artemis," he said carefully. "You did well on the test. Congrats on passing."

"This...is this still about the _Midsummer Night's Dream _test?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.

Robbie grinned at me. "Yes, in a way. That test was part of the...even bigger test."

"Wow, that makes things _so_ much more clearer," I mumbled sarcastically. "So, who else did Titania love? You sound like you're her best friend or something."

Shaking his head, Robbie exclaimed, "What? Me, and Titania, best friends? That is not going to happen in the next century, Artemis, I'll promise you that much." he grimaced. "Anyway, we're discussing _your _problem right now, not my hate-hate relationship with _her_. I'll give you three chances to guess who she was in love with; or rather, I should say who she...spent some time together with."

"Is this also part of the 'even bigger test'?" I asked, air-quoting his words. When he didn't answer, I said thoughtfully, "Well, I assume that this other person she spent time together with isn't a part of the play?"

"Nope," Robbie answered, beginning to walk down the hallway. I quickened my pace to follow him.

"How am I supposed to know?" I asked, flinging my hands up in frustration. "There's _billions _of people on this planet, Robbie! I can't name every single one of them! And I only get three chances?"

"Ah, but if you guess correctly, I'll help you find Rachel."

This stopped me in my tracks. _Think, Diana, think__! There must be a clue of some sort..._the conversation from a week ago! I gasped, my eyes widening as I recalled Robbie's words. How he knew someone with a temper management problem. How it was connected to Dad. "Don't tell me it's...my father?"

Robbie slapped me on my back, and the force sent me toppling forward. I grabbed the wall for support, wincing as I collided into it.

"Ding! Give the girl a prize!"

I couldn't believe it. Titania, the fairy queen from a _play_, had a history with my _father_? "But that's...impossible!" I blurted out, staring at him with my eyes wide in shock. "That makes me - "

"Her daughter," Robbie finished. "Boy, I wanted to tell you on the first day just so I could see your reaction. But of course, I had to see whether you're serious about going there to find your stepmom. I have instructions from above, too," he said, wrinkling his nose in distaste, as though he disliked the thought of having instructions from above, whatever that meant.

It was all so confusing that it made my head ache. I wobbled, and Robbie caught my arm. "I...I need a moment," I gasped. I had always wanted to know the truth. But now that I did know what the truth was, I couldn't take it. How pathetic.

"Of course, there's always the alternative," Robbie said, tightening his grip on my arm. "You forget everything. And then your life goes on as normal, with only you and your father."

I froze. Only my father and I sounded like a dream too good to be true. I admit, I missed the days when it had just been the two of us, before Rachel entered our world. The alternative seemed so tempting and wonderful, I almost accepted it.

And then I remembered.

It was my thirteenth birthday, and I was playing hide-and-seek with Dad. It was a tradition in the Rodgers household for us to play the game on my birthday, in lieu of a birthday party. Time had almost been up, and I desperately needed a place to hide.

So I chose the most obvious place: Dad's study.

He never permitted me to enter the room, so it meant that it would be the last place he would think of when searching. I had felt triumphant as I slid in and hid in the closet, only to bump against something in the dark. Unfortunately, whatever it was crashed on top of me, and I had screamed out in surprise. This, of course, led to my father finding me, and he scolded me for entering without his permission.

"D-Dad, I'm sorry," I'd sobbed, the tears rolling down my cheeks. I hated to see him angry.

"It's alright, Di," he had soothed, hugging me to him.

But I was curious about whatever it was that had hit me so hard, and so I asked him. He stiffened, gazing warily at the giant black bag. "It's a cello, Di," he said finally. "Your mother loved to hear me play."

"Can you play it now?" I had demanded, but it was the wrong thing to say, because he suddenly looked sad. He shook his head and did not answer.

The front door had clicked open then, and I heard the unfamiliar voice before I saw the figure. "Ah, but your new mother doesn't love it, Diana..."

At once, Dad's sad expression vanished, and instead it was replaced with a smile as radiant as the sun. I had never seen him smile so brightly, not even when I had won awards or when I scored well on tests. I looked between him and the woman in turn, not knowing what to think. I did know one thing, however: I wanted to see that smile again, even if it wasn't meant for me.

Dad beamed at the woman. "Happy birthday, Di! Meet your new mother!"

"My new...m-mother?" I repeated slowly. The word felt foreign on my tongue, as I had no need to call anyone mother since she left us.

She nodded. "A pleasure to meet you at last, Diana. Your father speaks highly of you."

At a loss for words, I could only stare at her in wonder. How could she make Dad smile like that? Why couldn't _I _make Dad smile like that? What was it about her that was so different?

"Oi, Artemis!"

Robbie's voice snapped me out of my reminiscing. I straightened and told him firmly, "I can't forget it all now! As much as I wish to stay with Dad like we had before Rachel came, she is everything to him now. I can't let him break even further. He needs her. That's why I can't forget. I want to know the truth, the _whole _truth, Robbie, because I'm going to find her. I _will _find her," I vowed, clenching my hand into a fist.

He held up a finger with a huge smirk plastered on his face. "If that's the case, then - " his grin grew even wider, " - first and foremost, Artemis...call me Puck."

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**Disclaimer: I am just an ordinary person, so no, I don't own the series.**

**Diana's Greek counterpart is Artemis. Not Athena. /shot/**

**The truth has finally been revealed!**

**As for the timeline in the Fey series, it's set after _The Iron Knight _(so Meghan is Queen of the Iron Fey, she has a child with Ash, etc etc.)  
And thank you all for your reviews so far! It inspires me to write more :) **


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